Five baby hedgehogs found under garden decking

Five baby hedgehogs are being nursed back to health after they were found without their mother in a North Yorkshire garden.

The hoglets were discovered under decking in a garden in Knaresborough last week - but with no sign of their mum, the homeowner contacted the local vet for help.

Your Family Vets in the town contacted Anne Morley, who is known for caring for wildlife in the area. "True to form, she was straight there and more than happy to help," the vets said.

The hoglets were checked over at a hedgehog rescue centre and found to be malnourished and dehydrated, so will stay there until they gain weight. They will then be returned to Morley before she releases them back into the wild.

Writing on its Facebook page, Your Family Vets said the babies were at Prickly Pigs Hedgehog Rescue in Otley.

They need to reach about 400g before they can go back to Morley's foster care.

The vets said: "Once they're ready, they'll return to Anne's care where she'll continue fostering them and helping them develop all the skills they'll need before returning to the wild.

"Anne has also given some local children the very important responsibility of naming our five little hogs, and we're eagerly awaiting the results.

"Until then, they've affectionately been nicknamed the Jackson Five."

The UK has just one native hedgehog species – the West European hedgehog - but they are a species vulnerable to extinction.

According to the RSPCA, more than half of the UK's hedgehogs have disappeared from the countryside since 2000, and they are now absent in a third of towns and cities.

They hibernate over winter, reemerging in spring, waiting for the sun to go down before heading out to begin feasting ahead of the next winter.

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